Colobostruma papulata

Colobostruma papulata
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Attini
Genus:	Colobostruma
Species:	C. papulata
Binomial name
	Colobostruma papulata; Brown, 1965 Specimen labels

This rare species is known from a single collection from the sand plain heath of south-western Western Australia. Nothing is known of its biology.

Identification

This species is similar to Colobostruma froggatti in form of sculpture and narrow, elongate mandibles. It differs in having the ridges above the eyes diverging anteriorly rather than converging (Shattuck 2000).

Keys including this Species

Distribution

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: -33.81666565° to -33.81666565°.


North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Australasian Region: Australia (type locality).

Distribution based on AntMaps

Distribution based on AntWeb specimens

Check data from AntWeb

Countries Occupied

Number of countries occupied by this species based on AntWiki Regional Taxon Lists. In general, fewer countries occupied indicates a narrower range, while more countries indicates a more widespread species.

Estimated Abundance

Relative abundance based on number of AntMaps records per species (this species within the purple bar). Fewer records (to the left) indicates a less abundant/encountered species while more records (to the right) indicates more abundant/encountered species.

Biology

Explore Overview of Colobostruma biology

Beyond what is stated in the introduction at the top of this page, little is know about the biology of Colobostruma papulata. Until further studies reveal more about this species we can infer that its natural history and biology should be similar to other species in this genus. In general Colobostruma can be locally common although they are often overlooked. Most species have small colonies with less than 100 workers, and workers will lie motionless when disturbed. Nests can occur in soil usually under rocks, in cracks in rocks or in rotten logs. Only a single rainforest species is known to nest arboreally. Foraging is usually on the ground at night but occasionally they are found foraging on mallee. They are also commonly found in leaf litter.

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Castes


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Nomenclature

The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.

papulata. Colobostruma papulata Brown, 1965a: 21, fig. 1 (w.) AUSTRALIA. See also: Shattuck, in Bolton, 2000: 43.

Type Material

Holotype, worker, Telegraph Hill (as Dempster Head) at Esperance, Western Australia, Australia, 4-6 February 1955, E.O. Wilson, Museum of Comparative Zoology.
Paratype, 1 worker, Telegraph Hill (as Dempster Head) at Esperance, Western Australia, Australia, 4-6 February 1955, E.O. Wilson, Museum of Comparative Zoology.

Unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from the publication that includes the original description.

Description

Worker

Shattuck (2000) - TL 2.4, HL 0.63, HW 0.49, CI 78, ML 0.18, MI 29, SL 0.29, SI 59, PW 0.32, AL 0.61. Anterior region of head rounding gradually from the dorsal to lateral surfaces, not phragmotic. Ridges immediately in front of eyes straight or nearly so, diverging anteriorly. Frontal lobes and lateral margins of clypeus smooth relative to the surrounding surface of the head. Mandibles relatively thin and elongate, their outer margins very weakly concave. Hairs absent from dorsum of head. Posterior margin of head shallowly concave. Antenna with 6 segments, the scape elbowed and with a well developed subbasal lobe. In dorsal view the widest point of the pronotum is at the humeral angles. Propodeum high, its posterior face approximately the same height as the petiolar node and with broad, thin lamellae; in profile the pronotum and mesonotum each flat, meeting in a slight angle. Lateral postpetiole drawn outwards into thin flange-like wings, the wings with translucent windows along their posterior margins only, the windows small. First gastral tergite with weak, indistinct reticulate sculpture and a limited number of low, widely spaced carinae on the anterior one-quarter. Body colour pale honey yellow, the head very slightly darker.

References

Bolton, B. 2000. The ant tribe Dacetini. Mem. Am. Entomol. Inst. 65: 1-1028 (page 43, see also)
Brown, W. L., Jr. 1965a. Colobostruma papulata species nov. Pilot Regist. Zool. Card No. 21. (page 21, fig. 1 worker described)
Heterick, B. E. 2009. A guide to the ants of South-western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 76:1-206.
Heterick, B.E. 2021. A guide to the ants of Western Australia. Part I: Systematics. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 86, 1-245 (doi:10.18195/issn.0313-122x.86.2021.001-245).
Heterick, B.E. 2022. A guide to the ants of Western Australia. Part II: Distribution and biology. Records of the Western Australian Museum, supplement 86: 247-510 (doi:10.18195/issn.0313-122x.86.2022.247-510).
Shattuck, S. O. 2000. Genus Colobostruma. Genus Mesostruma. Genus Epopostruma. Pp. 31-67 in: Bolton, B. The ant tribe Dacetini. Mem. Am. Entomol. Inst. 65: 1-1028.